(PatriotWise.com) — A Springdale, Maryland, man was arrested last week for fatally shooting his roommate following an argument over the remote, the New York Post reported.
Prince George’s County Police said in a statement that officers responded to a report of a shooting on Berrywood Lane in Springdale at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 10.
When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered 27-year-old Domonique Scott Hayes dead from gunshot wounds. A preliminary investigation determined that Hayes was shot by his roommate, 38-year-old Richard Bennaugh, during a dispute, according to the statement.
According to charging documents obtained by Fox 5 in Washington, DC, the shooting occurred between 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on January 10. Bennaugh did not call the police until about six hours later.
Bennaugh reportedly told officers that he went down to the second-floor living room at about 2:00 a.m. and had fallen asleep on the sofa. At about 5:30 a.m., he said he was woken up by Hayes, who was in the kitchen “making a lot of noise.”
A few minutes later, Hayes asked Bennaugh several times where the remote was, but Bennaugh ignored him and pulled the blanket over his head.
Eventually, Bennaugh said he removed the blanket and discovered that Hayes was standing over him holding two knives. Bennaugh grabbed his gun and pointed it at Hayes, who initially started to back away.
Bennaugh told police that Hayes said he wouldn’t shoot him, to which he reportedly said, “There’s only one way to find out.” Hayes started toward him again, and Bennaugh began shooting.
Hayes ran upstairs to his bedroom on the third floor.
Bennaugh told police that he didn’t see any blood and assumed that Hayes had not been injured in the shooting, so he went back to sleep on the sofa.
Later in the morning, Bennaugh said he went to a friend’s house in nearby Lanham to recount what happened. After buying $50 of marijuana at a dispensary, Bennaugh returned home. He collected the bullet casings and flushed them before cleaning up the debris from the damaged wall.
Bennaugh then told several people about the incident and was urged to call the police.
Bennaugh has been charged with manslaughter and other related charges, according to Prince George’s County Police.
He is in the custody of the Department of Corrections.
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